Canadian Centre for Product Validation, to open in 2016, gives London a `massive advantage?

By Norman De Bono

Updated: March 6, 2015

Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Joe Preston, left, Minister of State for FedDev Ontario Gary Goodyear, London North Centre MP Susan Truppe, Fanshawe College president Peter Devlin and Minister of State for Science and Technology Ed Holder pose for a photo under a 3D computer model of the proposed Canadian Centre for Product Validation, which will allow companies to test and validate their products in a single centralized space, at a press conference at Fanshawe College in London.
CRAIG GLOVER/The London Free Press/QMI Agency

Already rich with manufacturing research centres, London’s latest catch puts it a cut above the rest.

The $16.2-million Canadian Centre for Product Validation, announced Friday by FedDev Ontario for Fanshawe College, is a national first and one of only a few such industrial product test centres in the world.

Joining more than a half-dozen manufacturing research centres already in London, the combined effect of the new centre will make London a standout in industrial research, business and research officials say.

“This is a unique centre in Canada and this sets us up as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship unlike any other centre in Canada,” said Ben Cecil, associate vice-president of academic excellence and innovation at Fanshawe.

“It is truly a unique opportunity and it can leverage the expertise of what is already happening here in advanced manufacturing. It means manufacturers have partners in the city and it is a massive advantage to retain and attract businesses here.”

Observers say London’s growing clout with investments like the test centre give it an inside track on smart manufacturing.

“For companies, it shows them we have a vision for the future — that we have institutions here that have the expertise to help them create the next generation of products,” said Kapil Lakhotia, chief executive of the London Economic Development Corp. “It is an incentive for companies to locate here.”

Friday’s announcement is the latest boost to London’s advanced research sector.

Last year, FedDev — the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario — gave $13.7 million of the $37-million cost to create The Collider and the Fraunhofer Project Centre.

The WindEEE Dome was also built, joining two other wind research facilities doing work in building materials.

The validation centre is expected to open in the spring of 2016 in the city’s Advanced Manufacturing Park at Bradley Ave. and Veterans Memorial Parkway, which now houses The Collider, Fraunhofer and WindEEE Dome, creating a nucleus of research for industry.

It’s no accident that FedDev has been in London twice in the last year to fund research — that’s where future job creation and economic growth is, said Gary Goodyear, the minister for FedDev Ontario.

“The global economy is changing. Business has to do a better job of researching new products and commercializing those products. The best way to do that is to partner with educational institutions, where the best research gets done,” he said.

Ed Holder, London West MP and minister of science and technology, said the new centre “makes a statement” in the region’s manufacturing heartland.

“Imagine where jobs of the future will be in Southwestern Ontario in the area of advanced manufacturing and that is why we have to support initiatives like this,” he said.

FedDev contributed $8.1 million and Fanshawe is making a matching contribution.

Canadian Centre for Product Validation will evaluate products from around the world — consumer goods, and aerospace, automotive, military and building products — to find strengths and weaknesses and ways to improve them.

The only other centres like it are in Germany and Texas.

Fanshawe College’s Ben Cecil pointed to a wristwatch as an example of how the centre will work. If a watch maker wants to ensure its product keeps accurate time and is waterproof, tests will be done at the centre to ensure both. If the watch loses time and leaks, the centre will determine where the problem lies, and recommend changes to solve the issue.

The Collider: An incubator for advanced manufacturers, especially international business.

WindEEE Dome: A Western University complex, it uses fans to simulate tornadoe and studies how structures are destroyed by them to improve building products and standards.

Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel: Another Western centre, the lab tests the force and impact of wind on structures.

Three Little Pigs (The Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes): Western test facility, used to subject a full-scale house or light-frame building to extreme elements.

Surface Science Western: Consulting and research lab specializing in the analysis and characterization of surfaces and materials, such as paints for the automotive and aerospace industries; also does work in medical, defence, electronics, energy and environmental areas.

National Research Council: Provides financial support to small and medium-sized businesses for research and programs; has a London office.

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